Columbia’s Revitalized ‘Loop’ Is a Hub for Local Entrepreneurs

A commercial corridor along a state highway in Columbia, Missouri has become a model for revitalization after a targeted economic development effort that turned a nondescript strip into a community destination.

Ilana Preuss describes the project, known as The Loop, in a piece for Next City, profiling Carrie Gartner and the Loop Community Improvement District, which spearheaded the project. According to Preuss, the project area “wasn’t downtown. There was no place to hang out. Buildings were pushed back from the road. Traffic was full of trucks cutting through. Sidewalks, where they existed, were cracked and inconsistent.”

Gartner’s strategy focused on anchoring the area with small-scale manufacturing that would draw entrepreneurs without relying on foot traffic. “Second, she figured out how to attract people to the area – to spend time there rather than just driving through. She approached the local electricity co-op about its empty parking lot, organized donations of shipping containers and picnic tables, and brought together 200 volunteers to create a pop-up park.”

The CID also led a campaign to rezone the area to make it more accommodating for the types of businesses coming in. “ The Loop’s strategic focus on small-scale manufacturing businesses and their needs, and extensive conversations with local leaders, to the success of the rezoning campaign in 2021 that approved shared production spaces up to 15,000 square feet.”

Thanks to the focus on amenities that support the growth of small businesses, Preuss writes, The Loop is “becoming a place to stop in, get work done, a place where entrepreneurs from different parts of the city can learn and create together.”